Aquarium having improved filtration system with neutral buoyancy substrate, pump and sediment removal system

ABSTRACT

An aquarium which includes a tank having a pump and an under gravel filter disposed in the tank below the pump and a sediment removal system for collecting and removing sediment which passes through the under gravel filter. The under gravel filter includes a hollow bubble dispersing base plate having a perforated top surface and an overlying substrate. An air conduit is provided for introducing air into the pump. The pump is connected to the plate such as to pump water and air into the interior of the plate to thereby cause oxygenated water and bubbles to exit upwardly through the perforated top surface of the plate and into and through the substrate. The pump includes a free floating magnetic impeller. A rotational torque generating unit is provided to rotate the impeller. The rotational torque generating unit includes a magnetic drive disk and a motor for rotating the magnetic drive disk. The pump and rotational torque generating unit are aligned with each other such that a magnetic field is established between the magnetic drive disk and the magnetic impeller, the magnetic field rotating upon rotation of the magnetic drive disk to thereby rotate the impeller.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/771,693, file Feb. 9, 2006 entitled “NEUTRAL BUOYANCYSUBSTRATE MAGLIFE PUMP, BIOLIFE BASE PLATE, MAGLIFE FILTRATION SYSTEM,SEDIMENT REMOVAL SYSTEM, MAGNETIC DIAPHRAGM AIR PUMP AND AQUARIUMHEATER” and a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Ser. No. 11/703,850, filedFeb. 8, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,989 entitled “AQUARIUM HAVINGIMPROVED FILTRATION SYSTEM WITH NEUTRAL BUOYANCY SUBSTRATE AND SEDIMENTREMOVAL SYSTEM,” which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. Ser. No.10/960,213 filed Oct. 7, 2004 entitled “AQUARIUM HAVING IMPROVEDFILTRATION SYSTEM”, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,571, which was based on andclaimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/561,229 filedApr. 9, 2004, entitled “FREE-FLOATING MAGNETIC TORQUE TRANSFER DRIVESYSTEM AND NEW FILTER” and of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/510,698, Oct. 9, 2003 entitled SUPERCHARGED BIO-LIFE UNDER SUBSTRATEBASE PLATE.” The respective entire disclosures of all of the above notedapplications are incorporated by reference herein. This application isalso based on and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/920,718, filed Mar. 29, 2007, entitled “BETA TANK.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to aquariums and, moreparticularly, to aquariums having new and improved filtration systems.

Generally, there are three types of filtration required for aquariums:mechanical, biological and chemical. Mechanical filtration captureparticles such as uneaten food, bits of plants, fishes waste, etc., fromthe water. Biological filtration provides for the growth of a colony ofbeneficial bacteria that will eliminate harmful toxins in the water.Chemical filtration uses a chemical agent, such as activated carbon, toremove compounds that cause odors, discoloration of the water andcertain chemical contaminants.

A number of different type filters are employed to provide the requisitefiltering, such as corner filters, under gravel filters, power filters,canister filters and wet/dry filters.

Corner filters typically comprise clear plastic boxes which sit insidethe tank. An air pump bubbles air through an air lift tube, which forceswater through carbon and filter floss or other media mechanically andchemically filtering the water. Colonies of beneficial bacteria build upon the media, providing excellent biological filtration. Corner filters,however, are unaesthetic, take up space in the tank, and require morefrequent maintenance than other filters. Additionally, the requiredmaintenance also removes the beneficial bacteria.

Under gravel filters work by slowly passing water through a substrate ofgravel, which sits on top of a perforated base plate. The water can bepumped with an air lift, with bubbles of air lifting the water in avertical tube attached to the filter base plate. Increased water flowcan be achieved with submersible pumps, called power heads, attached tothe lift tubes.

Under gravel filters make good biological filters and will foster largecolonies of beneficial bacteria which neutralize toxic ammonia. Theyalso are good at catching all debris in the water. Unfortunately, thefilter quickly clogs up as all the uneaten food and other pollutants andparticles choke off areas of the substrate. As greater and greater areasof the substrate choke, it results in destruction of the beneficialbacteria which decay and now add a bio load to the system. At a certainpoint, the remaining beneficial bacteria are overrun, resulting in atank which is no longer able to maintain the viability of itsinhabitants (a “dead tank”) which must be cleaned and reinitialized. Toavoid this, it is necessary to frequently clean the substrate.Typically, this is done by regular vacuuming of the substrate.Unfortunately, the cleaning process results in removal of the beneficialbacteria colonies. Another problem might occur if an under gravel filteris used with a submersible pump. In this case, there is a safety riskfrom electric shock when work is done in the aquarium without firstshutting down the electricity to the pump.

Another common type of filter is the power filter. There are many stylesof power filters, but the most common hangs on the back of the tank. Asiphon tube pulls water from the tank into the filter box and passes thewater though a mechanical filter (typically a porous foam sponge). Thesponge doubles as a biological filter. An internal pump then returns thefiltered water into the aquarium.

The foam sponge can be easily inspected for clogging or removed forcleaning, but must be cleaned regularly to remove the solid wastesbefore they decompose and dissolve back into the water. Cleaning must bedone in such a way, however, that the bacteria colony in the sponge isnot substantially destroyed through the use of detergents or tap waterwith chlorine. Even if done properly, however, beneficial bacteria getremoved with the debris

Canister filters have some similarities with the “hang on tank” style ofpower filters, but are designed to provide more powerful filtration.Typically, the water is pumped, at moderate pressure through a filtermaterial, such as glass wool, or a micron filter cartridge. Canisterfilters are especially useful in aquariums which generate a lot ofwaste. For these filters to be effective they must be frequentlycleaned, to avoid the decomposition of waste in the water stream. Thesefilters usually sit on the floor below the tank, but also can hang onthe tank, and in some designs, even sit inside the tank, in which casethey are called a “submersible filter”. As discussed above, in thislatter case there is a problem of electrical shock when the aquarium isserviced without first shutting down the electricity to the filter pump.

Wet/dry filters, also known as trickle filters, work on the principlethat colonies of bacteria grow best in the presence of well-oxygenatedwater. By “trickling” water over unsubmerged media, wet/dry filtersprovide a very large air/water surface area. Many things can be used forthe media, with the best providing great amounts of surface area, whileat the same time having large openings to reduce the tendency to clogand ensure efficient gas exchange. Generally, the problem of clogging ofthe media is reduced by pre-filtering the water with an efficientmechanical filter.

Although all of the foregoing filters can work effectively, they do havesome common drawbacks. First, they require mechanical filters. Secondly,they require frequent maintenance which disturbs the natural balance ofthe tank. Additionally, those prior systems which employ submersiblepumps present electrical hazards and are relatively noisy. Sounds aremagnified underwater and are a terrible source of stress for fish.

Further, although all existing systems are partially successful inkeeping most problems temporarily in check, they do not address one ofthe major problems which is maintenance of the substrate. As a result,the substrate must still be vacuumed regularly to remove sediment and asubstantial amount of water replaced to keep the tank viable. Even ifthis is done, however, the balance in the tank is never stable andvaries between clean and sterile to dirty and toxic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an aquariumand filtration system which avoid the drawbacks of prior aquariums andfiltration systems and whose components perform together over extendedperiods of time to provide optimal condition for both the inhabitants ofthe aquariums and the colonization of beneficial bacteria and tomaintain such conditions without minimal external intervention.

More, specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provideaquariums having new and improved filtration systems that do not requiremechanical filters, and which are quieter, smaller, safer, less costly,more efficient than prior systems and which require less and simplermaintenance.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by an aquariumwhich includes a tank, a pump disposed in the tank and an under gravelfilter disposed in the tank below the pump. The under gravel filterincludes a hollow bubble dispersing base plate having a perforated topsurface. The pump is connected to the plate such as to pump oxygenatedwater blended with air into the interior of the plate to thereby causebubbles and oxygenated water to exit upwardly through the perforated topsurface of the plate into the base of the substrate.

Custom blending and aeration inside of the pumping chamber distributehighly oxygenated water along with blended in bubbles throughout theentire substrate. This blend results in a mix of tiny and large bubbles,each playing its role in maintaining the substrate. Large bubbles ventforcefully enough to unsettle even large debris and enable the substrateto remain free of clogs which would cause choking of the substrate. Thetiny bubbles vent everywhere, ensuring full aeration everywhere. Even ifsome areas never get vented by large bubbles and start to clog, the clogwill catch the tiny bubbles which will accumulate and combine. This willcontinue until the upward force overcomes the resistance of the clog,whereupon the combined tiny bubbles will vent, thus clearing the clog.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the pump includes a freefloating magnetic impeller disposed therein.

In accordance with another aspect, a rotational torque generating unitis provided to rotate the impeller. The rotational torque generatingunit includes a magnetic drive disk and a motor for rotating themagnetic drive disk disposed therein. The pump and rotational torquegenerating unit are aligned with each other such that a magnetic fieldis established between the magnetic drive disk and the magneticimpeller, the magnetic field rotating upon rotation of the magneticdrive disk to thereby rotate the magnetic impeller.

Because it is free floating, the pump is free of any bearings, bushings,shafts and any and all other structure which would restrain its positionor its angle and axis of rotation. It is held in place only by its ownmagnetic field linking to that of the matched magnetic field of themagnetic drive disk. Additionally, tolerances are not critical since thefree floating impeller is not affected if misaligned.

Advantageously the impeller includes a disc-shaped member having aplurality of vanes and a plurality of permanent magnets and wherein therotatable magnetic drive disk includes a plurality of permanent magnetsdisposed on one surface thereof, the number and location of thepermanent magnets of the rotatable magnetic drive disk being coincidentwith the number and location of the permanent magnets of the impeller.

A feature of the invention is the provision of respective focusing disksfor each set of magnets which results in a magnetic sandwich whichcauses nearly all of the magnetic field to be focused between the drivedisk and the impeller.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the first andsecond housings have respective flanges containing respective mountingmagnets, the mounting magnets of the first and second housings beingarranged to interact with each other such that first and second housingsmay be connected to each other by mutual magnetic attraction of theirmounting magnets.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, bubble dispersingapparatus for an aquarium includes a hollow base plate having aperforated top surface and an inlet port for connecting a pump to theplate such as to pump a blend of oxygenated water and air into theinterior of the plate to thereby cause bubbles to exit upwardly throughthe perforated top surface of the plate.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, rather than a pumpbeing connected to the base plate, an impeller is disposed in the platefor drawing a blend of water and air into the interior of the plate.

Advantageously, the substrate includes particles having a size, shapeand/or density such that particles are easily moved by the bubbles andwater exiting from the perforated top surface of the plate, therebycreating a negative buoyance substrate forming a fluidized-bed.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an aquarium tank maycomprise a bottom wall in the form of a quadrilateral having first andsecond front corners and first and second rear corners. First and secondfront frame members extend upwardly from the first and second frontcorners, respectively, and first and second rear frame members extendupwardly from the first and second rear corners, respectively. A frontwall extends between the first and second front frame members, opposedside edges of the front wall being received respectively in the firstand second front frame members. A rear wall extends between the firstand second rear frame members, opposed side edges of the front wallbeing received respectively in the first and second rear front framemembers. A first side wall extends between the first front frame memberand the first rear frame member, opposed side edges of the first sidewall being received respectively in the first front frame member and thefirst rear frame member. A second side wall extends between the secondfront frame member and the second rear frame member, opposed side edgesof the second first side wall being received respectively in the secondfront frame member and the second rear frame member.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a first upper framemember extends between the first front frame member and the first rearframe member, first and a second upper frame member extends between thesecond front frame member and the second rear frame member. A first topelement top having opposed side edges is slidably received respectivelyin the first and second upper frame members to thereby enable the firsttop element to be slid in opposite directions along a plane extendingfrom the first and second front frame members to the first and secondrear frame members. A second top element top having opposed side edgesis slidably received respectively in the first and second upper framemembers to thereby enable the second top element to be slid in oppositedirections along a plane extending from the first and second front framemembers to the first and second rear frame members.

In accordance with one feature of the invention, a light source ismounted on one of the first and second top elements to irradiate lightinto the tank, whereby the amount of light irradiated into the tankdepends on the relative positions of the first and second elements.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, at least one of thefirst and second top elements is made of a translucent colored materialso that the light irradiated into the tank is light of said color.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, each of the firstand second top elements has a width extending in a direction from thefirst and second front frame members to the first and second rear framemembers which is approximately half of the distance extending from thefirst and second front frame members to the first and second rear framemembers so that when one of the first and second top elements is in itsforward most position and the other of the first and second top elementsis in its rearmost position the first and second top elements coversubstantially the entire top of the tank.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an aquarium may comprisea tank; a pump disposed in the tank; an air conduit for introducing airinto the pump; and an under gravel filter disposed in the tank below thepump, the under gravel filter including a bubble dispersing base plate,the plate being hollow and having a perforated top surface and the pumpbeing connected to the plate such as to pump a blend of water and airinto the interior of the plate to thereby cause bubbles and water toexit upwardly through the perforated top surface of the plate.

In accordance with certain features of the invention, the air conduitmay include a hose connected between the pump and a source of air or anair duct formed in a wall of the tank, a tube connected between the airduct and the pump and a passageway formed in the wall for connecting theair duct to the source of air.

In accordance with other features of the invention, a selectivelyoperable valve may be provided for covering, uncovering or partiallycovering the passageway to regulate the amount of air supplied to thepump, and the valve may include a first magnet arranged to be movable inresponse to an external magnetic force for covering, uncovering orpartially covering the passageway and may be movably secured to theoutside surface by a second magnet positioned within the tanksubstantially opposite the first magnet. Advantageously, the valve mayalso include an air filter.

Other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description of the invention whichrefers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aquarium illustrating certainfeatures of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating certain features of the top of thetop of the aquarium.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the circled portion of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectional views taken along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a pump and rotational torquegenerating unit illustrating certain features of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing a magneticimpeller forming part of the pump.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along lines 7-7 of FIG. 5 showing a magneticdrive disk forming part of the rotational torque generating unit.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along lines 8-8 of FIG. 6 and FIG. 9 is asectional view along lines 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation view of an alternative arrangement formounting of the pump and the rotational torque generating unitillustrating certain features of the invention.

FIGS. 11A-11B are sectional elevation views of another alternativeembodiment of a rotational torque generating unit, in which the motor iseccentrically mounted, showing different positions of the motor.

FIGS. 12A-12B are sectional views showing the positions of the magneticimpeller corresponding to the positions of the motor in FIGS. 11A-11D.

FIG. 13 is a perspective, exploded view of an under gravel filterillustrating certain features of the present invention which forms partof the aquarium of FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a bubble dispersing base plate illustratingcertain features of the present invention which forms part of the undergravel filter of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a variation of the bubble dispersing baseplate of FIG. 14 illustrating certain features of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a sectional elevation view of an alternative embodiment of abubble dispersing base plate illustrating certain features of theinvention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of abubble dispersing plate illustrating certain features of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional elevation view of another embodiment of afilter illustrating certain features of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the filter of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of still another embodiment of a filterillustrating certain features of the invention.

FIG. 21 is a top view of the filter of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of yet another embodiment of a filterillustrating certain features of the invention.

FIG. 23 is a top view of the filter of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of apump illustrating certain features of the invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective, exploded view of the pump of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a perspective, exploded view of a rotational torquegenerating unit for rotating the pump of FIG. 24.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a magnetic disc forming part of therotational torque generating unit of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a diagrammatic view of a multiport air pump illustratingcertain features of the invention.

FIG. 29 is diagrammatic view of a motor for operating a magnetic driveforming part of the multiport air pump of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is diagrammatic view of a bladder operated switch forming partof the multiport air pump of FIG. 28.

FIG. 31 is a plan elevation view of the tank showing a sediment removesystem pump illustrating certain features of the invention.

FIG. 32 is a perspective of a heating unit which may be used in theaquarium.

FIG. 33 is a plan view showing an alternative embodiment of a pump androtational torque generating unit illustrating certain features of thepresent invention.

FIG. 34 is an exploded view of the pump of FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of an impeller and impeller housingforming part of the pump of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is a plan view showing the mounting of a chemical filter on thepump of FIG. 34.

FIG. 37 is a plan view showing the mounting of a foam filter on the pumpof FIG. 34.

FIGS. 38A and 39A are plan vies of two alternative beads illustratingcertain features of the invention and FIGS. 38A and 39B show dimensionsof the beads of FIGS. 38A and 39A, respectively.

FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a magnetic stirring system used in asediment removal system of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference charactersdesignate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and,in particular, referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4A-4B and 14, there is shownan embodiment of an aquarium 10 illustrating certain features of thepresent invention.

The aquarium 10 includes a tank 12 which is made of a bottom wall 14(best seen in FIG. 13), a front wall 16, a back wall 18, and side walls20. The bottom, front, back, and side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20,respectively, are joined together by frame members 22A-22L to provide awater tight and integrally formed enclosure. The tank 12 includes anunder gravel filter 24 comprising (as best seen in FIG. 13) a bubbledispersing base plate 26 and an overlying substrate 28 of gravel, a pump30, an air tube 32 extending between the pump 30 and the surface ofwater in the tank 12, and a water outlet tube 34 extending from the pump30 to the bubble dispersing base plate 26. At least the front wall 16 ofthe tank 12 is made of a transparent material, such as glass or acrylic;preferably, all of the walls 14, 16, 18 and 20 of the tank 12 are madeof a transparent material, such as glass or acrylic.

At least the frame members 22A,22B, 22C and 22H are L-shaped in crosssection to receive respective edges of the walls 14, 16, 18 and 20 tofacilitate assembly of the tank 12. The frame members 22A, 22B, 22C and22H are essentially the same; accordingly, only the frame member 22A isshown in FIG. 3.

The top of the tank 12 (as seen in FIGS. 2, 4A and 4B) comprises twoseparate top halves 38A and 38B, each of which is slidable in respectivetracks 37 and 39 in the frame members 22D-22G (since the frame members22D and 22G are identical only the frame member 22G is shown in FIGS. 4Aand 4B). Sliding the top half 38A, forward so that its front edge is inengagement with the frame member 22E and sliding the top half 38Brearwardly so that its rear edge is in engagement with the frame member22F (FIG. 4A) results in the top halves 38A and 38B defining a cover 38which overlies the entire top of the tank 12. It should be noted sincethe tracks 37 and 39 are below the top surfaces of the frame members 22Aand 22B, the top halves 38A and 38B are similarly below the top surfacesof the frame members 22A and 22B; this results in the tank cover 38being effectively inside the tank 12. As a result, any water that may beon the top halves 38A and 38B is returned to the tank 12. Additionally,the phenomenon of salt creep so troublesome in salt water tanks issubstantially eliminated.

Sliding both of the top halves 38A and 38B rearwardly (FIG. 4B) opens afront portion of the top of the tank 12 to enable access to the tank 12for feeding or other purposes. It should be noted that rather than slidethe top halves 38A and 38B rearwardly both of the top halves 38A and 38Bcan be slid forward to expose a rear portion of the tank 12. In fact, asshould be apparent, the two top halves 38A and 38B can be slid to anydesired position between the front and rear of the tank 12.

The top half 38A supports a housing 40 containing a lamp (not shown) forilluminating the tank 12, as well as a power supply and associatedelectronics (not shown) for the lamp and the pump 30. A pair of switches41 and 42 are provided for separately operating the lamp and the pump30. A single power cord 43 extends from the housing and is connectableto an appropriate electrical outlet. The top 44 of the housing 40 isremovable to allow for easy access to the lamp, power supply and theassociated electronics in the event that service and/or replacement ofany of these parts becomes necessary.

Like the walls 14, 16 18, and 20, the top halves 38A and 38B are made ofa translucent plastic, such as acrylic. Advantageously, at least the tophalf 38B is made of a colored translucent plastic material. As a result,different lighting effects, such as varying the amount of colored lighttransmitted through the top half 38B, can be achieved by varying therelative positions of the top halves 38A and 38B. The lower panel can bemulti colored and adjacent colors can be blended by changing therelative position of the top panels to illuminate the tank as desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-9, the pump 30 according to a first embodiment,is powered by a rotational torque generating unit 46 outside of the tank12 directly behind the pump 30. The rotational torque generating unit 46includes a magnetic drive disk 48 having a plurality of permanentmagnets 50. The pump 30 includes a chamber 52 with a magnetized impeller54 having a plurality of spaced permanent magnets 56.

The magnetic drive disk 48 is driven by a motor 58 and is magneticallycoupled through the back wall 18 of the tank 12 to the impeller 54. Asthe motor 58 spins the attached magnetic drive disk 48, the impeller 54spins at the exact same speed. The impeller 54 is free floating, thatis, it is free of bearings, bushings, shafts and any and all otherstructure which would restrain its position or its angle and axis ofrotation. It is held in place only by its own magnetic field linking tothat of the matched magnetic field of the magnetic drive disk 48 on themotor 58. As a result, at different speeds and under different loads,the position and the axis of rotation and the angle of rotation of theimpeller 54 are free to adjust to a new equilibrium for any combinationof loads and speeds. The free floating design constantly adjusts formany forces and even if the impeller 54 is not balanced it is free tocompensate automatically and will spin about a point off a center toadjust for this imbalance. The free floating design has many otheradvantages as well. If the pump 30 sucks something and blocks theability of the impeller 54 to rotate, the impeller will either jumpslightly but remain linked, allowing enough clearance to let theobstruction pass through, or be knocked off as it cannot follow thespinning magnetic drive disk 48 and, as soon as it slows more than themotor 58 slows, as will be described in more detail below, the link isbroken and the impeller simple pushes off as levitational forcesovercome attractive forces and stops until the motor 58 stops then itre-links. The motor 58 is therefore protected if the load ever becomesgreater than expected.

Stopping the motor 58 will allow the magnetic drive disk 48 and theimpeller 54 to automatically re-link, so when the motor 58 starts againthe impeller 54 resumes spinning. Another problem solved by the freefloating design eliminates the need to have to clean the algae and othermuck which build up. The free floating design has no critical tolerancesand self clears any buildup.

All electrical hazards are eliminated since the pump motor 58 is locatedoutside of the tank and is connected to the electronics in the housing40 by an external wire 59. Additionally, because the pump 30 is soefficient, a smaller motor 58 may be employed. More specifically,typical pump motors usually have an operating voltage of 110 v. Theefficiency of the pump 30, however, enables a small motor having anoperating voltage of 12 v. to be used. Accordingly, even if someunforeseen accident causes an electrical connection to occur within thetank, there is no danger to either a person attending to the tank or toany of its inhabitants because of the low voltage. Having the motor 58outside of the tank 12 also results in no heat being added to the tank12 since the only heat generated by this design is by the motor 58 whichis outside of the tank 12.

The chamber 52 is defined by a generally cylindrical housing 60 made ofa nonmagnetic material, such as plastic and has an air inlet port 62, awater inlet port 64, and an outlet port 66. A mesh element (not shown)may cover the inlet port 66 to block large waste particles or tankinhabitants from entering the water inlet port 64.

The impeller 54 includes a disc-shaped member 68, preferably made of awear resistant material, such as TEFLON polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE),having a plurality of vanes 70 (four in the illustrated embodiment)extending from the side facing away from the back wall 18 of the tank 12and having permanent magnets 56 therein. The permanent magnets 56correspond in number and positioning to the magnets 50 of the magneticdrive disk 48, that is, the number and location of permanent magnets 56are coincident with the number and location of permanent magnets 50. Toreduce the size of the impeller 54, the magnets 56 may be embeddeddirectly in the vanes 70.

Because there are no bushings, bearings, shafts, etc., there are noparts to wear out and no wear other than the wear that is caused byfriction between the respective mating surfaces of the tank 12 and theflat TEFLON PTFE surface on the back 70 of the impeller 54. Because ofthe TEFLON PTFE composition of the impeller back surface 70 and thenatural lubrication of the water being pumped, this wear is practicallynegligible. Indeed, because of the TEFLON PTFE composition of theimpeller back surface 70, even if the pump 30 is run dry for longperiods wear increases only slightly.

The impeller rotation torque generating unit 46 includes a housing 72for accommodating the motor 58 and the magnetic drive disk 48. Thepermanent magnets 50 are disposed on one surface (the pump 30 side) ofthe magnetic drive disk 48. As noted above, the number and location ofthe permanent magnets 50 are coincident with the number and location ofthe permanent magnets 56 of the impeller 54. Instead of spacedindividual permanent magnets, an annular permanent magnet may be use.

The plurality of permanent magnets 50 of the magnetic disk 48 comprisenorth poles 50A and south poles 50B and the permanent magnets 56 of theimpeller 54 comprise north poles 56A and south poles 56B. The magneticdisk 48 and the impeller 54 magnetically link to each other such thatthe north poles 50A from the magnetic disk 48 attract the south poles56B of the impeller 54 and the south poles 50B of the magnetic disk 48attract the north poles 56A of the impeller 54.

As the impeller 54 spins, it develops momentum and acts as a flywheelwith gyroscopic characteristics. This provides great stability to theimpeller 54 enabling it to adjust to changes in the forces acting on itand to establish a new equilibrium position by adjusting the axis andangle of rotation.

As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the permanent magnets 50 of the magneticdrive disk 48 and the permanent magnets 56 of the impeller 54 aremounted on respective ferromagnetic disks 55 and 57 which serve toconstrain the magnetic field to a cylinder whose diameter is essentiallythe same as that of the disks 55 and 57. In effect, the disks 55 and 57are focusing disks which serve to focus the magnetic field to the areabetween the disks with very little leakage of the field. This results inthe creation of a very strong and efficient field.

The magnetic field formed between the focusing disks is equallyeffective in correcting the positioning of the magnetic drive disk 48and the impeller 54 as it is in maintaining their position. Morespecifically, the linkage is equally effective in maintaining positionunder constant speed and load as it is when speed and load are abruptlychanged. This is because the repulsive forces resulting from theimpeller 54 getting out of phase with the magnetic drive disk 48 arejust as strong as the in-phase attractive forces. The repulsive forcesjust begin to become effective as the rotational force starts to equalthe linking force. A slight phase shift completes the equilibrium. Thisphase shift begins to unbalance the attractive force, resulting in dragon the impeller 54. This drag begins to slow the impeller 54 until therepulsive forces both push it back into phase and also counterbalancethe attractive forces to begin to levitate the impeller. Morespecifically, when the north and south poles of the magnetic drive disk48 are not aligned with the south and north poles of the impeller 54,like poles of the magnetic drive disk 48 and the impeller 54 get closertogether. This creates a corrective force and a levitational force arecreated. In turn, this results in a stable torque developing gyroscopicsystem which is highly efficient.

The pump 30 can, if desired, automatically sense if a delinking occurs.This can be done in a number of different ways. For example, when theimpeller 54 de-links, the force on the shaft of the motor 58 shiftsdirection. A position sensor (not shown) on the motor shaft may then beused to indicate a de-linkage as the levitational forces cause the shaftto be pushed away. When this is sensed, power to the motor may be pausedto cause the drive disk and the impeller disk to relink. The motor maythen be automatically restarted. Another way of sensing delinking, is tomonitor the current to the motor 58. When the load is removed from themotor 58, the motor current falls off dramatically. This drop off canthen be used to sense delinking and the magnetic drive disk 48 and theimpeller 54 relinked as described above.

The housing 72 has a flange 75 containing a pair of mounting magnets 74which are arranged to interact with a corresponding pair of magnets 76contained in a flange 78 extending from the pump housing 60. Thehousings 60 and 72 are thus secured to the back wall 18 of the tank 12by mutual magnetic attraction.

Turning now to FIG. 10, there is shown an alterative embodiment of anaquarium 10 illustrating certain features of the invention. The aquarium10 includes a tank 12 having a pump 30, and a water outlet tube 34extending from the pump 30 to an under gravel filter which is the sameas the under gravel filter 24 of FIG. 1 but which is not shown in FIG.8. Instead of an air tube 32, as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, in thisembodiment an air duct 80 is formed directly in the back wall 18 of thetank. An air tube 82 connects the duct 80 to the pump 30.

At the top of the back wall 18 of the tank 12 there is a small diameterpassageway 83 extending from the outside of the back wall 18 to theinterior of the duct 80 to enable air to be supplied to the pump 30. Avalve comprising a magnet 84 regulates the blend of water and air mixedby the pump 30. Advantageously, the magnet has a through hole whichcommunicates with an air filter. When the magnet 84 covers thepassageway 83 there is no air being drawn into the duct 80. On the otherhand, when the passageway 93 is fully opened, maximum air is drawn in.Movement in between these positions enables regulation of air flow to anintermediate level. The magnet 84 is secured to the tank 12 by themagnetic attraction of a magnet 86 on the inside of the tank 12 and issimply moved to regulate the air being injected by pushing it manuallyup or down.

A housing 88 for the pump 30 is formed directly in the back wall 18 inaccordance with this embodiment with a housing 90 for the rotationaltorque generation unit 46 being slidably and rotatably disposed withinthe housing 88. The back wall of the housing 88 forms the back wall ofthe pump chamber 52 and the other side of the back wall of the housing88 forms the back wall of the rotational torque generation unit housing90. In the embodiment illustrated, most of the rotational torquegeneration unit housing 90 is located inside of the tank 12 with just asmall portion 90A located outside of the tank. The purpose of extendingmost of the rotational torque generation unit housing 90 within the tank12 is to provide a back wall 18 of the tank that is practically free ofany protuberance. Alternatively, a pancake motor can be used when spaceis limited. However, if this is not a concern, the rotational torquegeneration unit housing 90 and the pump housing 88 can be located asthey are in the embodiment of FIG. 1, that is, with the pump housing 88within the tank and the rotational torque generation unit housing 90completely outside of the tank, with the back wall 18 of the tank 12forming a boundary between the two housings. The purpose of locating asmall portion 90A of the rotational torque generation unit housing 90outside of the tank 12 is to enable electrical connection to therotational torque generation unit 46 to be made by a wire 92 outside ofthe tank 12 and to provide access to the motor housing to enable it tobe rotated.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A-11B and 12A-12B, there is shown analternative embodiment of an impeller rotation torque generating unit,designated generally by the reference numeral 94 in FIGS. 11A-11B.

In this embodiment, the motor 58 is secured to the housing 90 such thatit is eccentrically mounted with respect to the center axis of thehousing. Rotation of the housing 90 causes the motor 58 and the attachedmagnetic drive disk 48 to move to different angular positions. In turn,this causes the magnetic impeller 54 to spin at different angularpositions within the pump chamber 52. In this manner it is possible tochange the position of the impeller with respect to the air inlet port,the water inlet port and the water outlet port. This enables control ofthe ratio of flow up and down and also the amount of air injected. FIGS.11A and 11B illustrate different positions of the motor 58 andassociated magnetic drive disk 48 and FIGS. 12A and 12B showcorresponding positions of the magnetic impeller 54.

In FIGS. 11A and 11B, the housing 90 is rotated such that the motor 58and associated magnetic drive disk 48 cause the impeller 54 to bepositioned adjacent to the air inlet port 95 and, accordingly, maximumair is injected into the pump motor 58 and associated magnetic drivedisk 48. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, the housing 90 is rotated such that themotor 58 and associated magnetic drive disk 48 cause the impeller 54 tobe positioned away from the inlet port thus reducing the air injectedinto the pump chamber 52.

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, there is shown an alternative embodimentpump 200. The pump 200 includes a generally cylindrical housing 202having a chamber 204. Air is introduced into the chamber 204 via an airpickup tube 206 and water is introduced via openings 205 in a domeshaped cover 208 which encloses one end of the chamber 204.Advantageously, an air filter 207 and an regulation screw 209 areprovided for the air pickup tube 206. A glass disc 210 encloses theother end of the chamber 204. Aerated water is outputted from thechamber 204 via upwardly and downwardly extending outlet pipes 212 and214. Like the pump 30, the pump 200 has an impeller 216 and magnets 218disposed within the chamber 204. The housing 202 and the disc 210 havemating flanges 220 and 222 with corresponding radial slots 224 and 226defining radial sideports 228 for providing either an air curtain orwater. The dome cover 208 has peripheral tabs 230 equal in number to thenumber of side ports 228. The dome 208 is rotatable to adjust the amountby which each tab 230 covers its corresponding side port 228 to therebyregulate the output from the sideports 228.

Referring now to FIGS. 26 and 27, the pump 200, like the pump 30, ispowered by a rotational torque generating unit 232 outside of the tank12 directly behind the pump 200. The rotational torque generating unit232 includes a magnetic drive disk 234 having a plurality of permanentmagnets 236. The magnetic drive disk 234 is driven by a motor 238 and ismagnetically coupled through the back wall 18 of the tank 12 to theimpeller 216. The rotational torque generating unit 232 includes ahousing 240 for accommodating the motor 238 and the magnetic drive disk234. The permanent magnets 236 are disposed on one surface (the pump 30side) of the magnetic drive disk 234. As noted above, the number andlocation of the permanent magnets 236 are coincident with the number andlocation of the permanent magnets 218 of the impeller 216. Instead ofspaced individual permanent magnets, an annular permanent magnet may beused. As was the case for the plurality of permanent magnets 50 of themagnetic disk 48 of the impeller rotation torque generating unit 46, thepermanent magnets 236 magnetic drive disk comprise alternating northpoles and south poles. The pump housing 202 has a flange 222 containingmounting magnets (not shown) which are arranged to interact withcorresponding magnets 244 contained in the flange 220 of the magneticdrive disk 234. The housings 202 and 240 are thus secured to the backwall 18 of the tank 12 by mutual magnetic attraction. Advantageously,respective magnetic shields 246 and 248 encircle the group of magnets236 and each of the mounting magnets 244

As was the case for the plurality of permanent magnets 50 of themagnetic disk 48 of the impeller rotation torque generating unit 46 thepermanent magnets 236 of the magnetic disc 234 comprise alternatingnorth poles and south poles. The a flange 222 containing a pair ofmounting magnets 242 which are arranged to interact with a correspondingpair of magnets 244 contained in the flange 220 extending from the pumphousing 202. The housings 202 and 240 are thus secured to the back wall18 of the tank 12 by mutual magnetic attraction. Advantageously,respective magnetic shields 246 and 248 encircle the group of magnets236 and each of the mounting magnets 244.

Referring now to FIGS. 28-30, a multiport air pump 250 employing similarprinciples of operation and structure as the pumps 30 and 200 is shown.The pump 250 includes a housing 252 for holding a plurality ofalternating north and south pole magnets 254 arranged to be rotatablydriven by a rotation unit 256 similar to the rotation units 46 and 232.A plurality of bladder operated flapper switches 258 are arrangedperipherally around the pump 250. Each switch 258 includes an internalflapper 260 which is operated by inward and outward movement of acorresponding bladder 262. Each bladder 262 includes a magnet 264 whichis alternately attracted and repulsed by the rotating magnets 254. Eachflapper 260 is arranged such that when it is operated it selectivelyallows air from inlet tubes 264 connected to each switch 258 to pass tooutlet tubes 266 connected thereto.

Referring now to FIGS. 33-35, there is shown another alternativeembodiment of a pump 300. Elements which have the same function and/orstructure as the embodiment of FIGS. 5-9 will be identified by threedigits with the first two being the same as those in the embodiment ofFIGS. 5-9 and the third being “zero.”

The pump 300 according to this embodiment is powered by a rotationaltorque generating unit 460. The pump 300 includes a chamber 520 with amagnetized impeller 540.

The chamber 520 is enclosed by a generally ring shaped impeller housing600. Each quadrant of the housing has three selectively open/closablesmall openings 601 extending from the periphery to selectively jetcurrents comprised of air blended with water into the tank 12. (Note:only two of the quadrants can be seen in the Figs.) A first main wateroutlet port 602 extends upwardly from the impeller housing 600 and asecond main water outlet port 603 extends downwardly from the impellerhousing 600.

A plurality of ring shaped housings 604-606 is connected to the impellerhousing 600; the housing 604 accommodates an air input tube 607; thehousing 604 accommodates a heating unit 608 and the housing 606accommodates a lighting unit 609. A dome shaped housing 610 having aplurality of apertures 611 collectively serving as a water input port isattached to the outermost ring 606. Preferably, the dome housing 610accommodates a chemical filter, such as an ammonia cartridge.

If desired, a ball fountain 612 containing floating decorative elementsmay be attached to the water output port 602 to help aerate the tank andprovide a decorative effect. Alternatively, a chemical filter 613, suchas an ammonia filter may be connected to the water outlet port 602, asshown in FIG. 36. Also, a foam filter 614 may be placed over the dome610, as shown in FIG. 37. Extension tubes 615 may be required dependingon the distance of the pump from the surface.

The pump 600 acts to super-saturate the natural buoyancy substratesystem with oxygen using directed jets of currents comprised of airblended into the water so that the bubbles are small enough to followthe currents throughout the majority of the substrate 28, at the sametime, the surface fountains cause tremendous turbulence and also speedof the surface. The fountains are designed to replace and agitate thesurface as fast as possible. The surface is where all gas exchange takesplace. This fast running, agitated surface maximizes both the rate ofoxygenation of the water, and also, the removal of the unwanted wastegasses. The surface is where the system breathes, where all gasexchanges take place. Each quadrant is independently controlled. Intypical set-ups, the bottom two quadrants are open to blow blended airand water into the substrate. Any quadrant may also be used as thecurrent through any chemical or biological cartridge.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, the bubble dispersing base plate 26 ofthe under gravel filter 24 covers substantially the entire bottom wallof the tank 12. It is slightly spaced from the bottom of the tank 12 bya plurality of spacer elements 96. If desired, one or more conventionalchemical filter cartridges 98 may be disposed between the substrate 28of gravel and the bubble dispersing base plate 26. The bubble dispersingbase plate 26 is sealed everywhere except for the top surface 100 whichis perforated with a plurality of openings 102 extending oversubstantially the entire top surface of the bubble dispersing base plate26 and which includes a pump inlet coupling 104.

The size, shape and density of openings are selected to provide desiredperformance characteristics. For example, to address possible problemscaused by large area bubbles forming within the plate 26, particularlyadjacent the pump inlet coupling 104 and at the corners of the plate 26,larger diameter holes 102A may be formed, as shown in FIG. 15. Withoutthe larger holes 102A, it is possible that the larger bubble regions cangrow until they are almost connected, thereby restricting the escapingsmaller bubbles to only a few locations. This could result in cloggingof the substrate 28. Additionally, the larger bubbles, unless vented bythe larger holes 102A, can cause volcanic like eruptions in thesubstrate 28 which, in turn, could cause water to be splashed from thetank 12.

The bubble dispersing base plate 26 is perforated beyond the peripheryof its hollow cavity, thus connecting the space beneath the bubbledispersing base plate to the main space of the aquatic tank 12. Flowbetween the space beneath the bubble dispersing base plate 26 and themain space of the aquatic tank 12 occurs by convection and eddy currentsfrom the circulation within the tank by means of the perforations andany clearance between the bubble dispersing base plate 26 and the sidesof the tank 12. The clearance between the bubble dispersing base plate26 and the sides of the tank 26 is kept to a minimum in order to controlthe circulation of water to the space beneath the bubble dispersing baseplate, 26 as well as to keep substrate particles above the bubbledispersing base plate 26

Although the pump 30 is shown as being coupled to the under gravelfilter 24, the invention is not limited to use with the type pump 30 andany other type pump can be used.

Although, gravel is shown as the substrate 28, the substrate 28 may beany type material, such as sand, pebbles, crushed coral, dolomite, orcrushed glass. Advantageously, the material selected for the substrate28 should have a density slightly greater than that of water so that thesubstrate particles are easily moved by the water. As a result thesubstrate 28 essentially has neutral buoyancy. Similarly, the particlesshould have a size and shape that promote easy movement. This, combinedwith the neutral buoyancy, causes the substrate 28 to function as afluidized-bed in which the up flow of water causes the substrate mediato act as a fluid.

Regular gravel may be used in lieu of neutral buoyancy gravel but, ifthis is done, both the amount and frequency of maintenance increase.This can be improved by increasing the flow rate.

This system eliminates practically all maintenance including that ofemploying a mechanical type filter. Other than monitoring water level,feeding and occasional gentle stirring of the substrate 28, no othermaintenance is necessary.

The neutral buoyancy substrate 28 also eliminates another problem, itwill not have algae grow on it due to the fact that it is in motion.Since the substrate remains in motion, algae cannot take hold. What ison top of the pile today is covered tomorrow and never forms algae.

The neutral buoyancy substrate 28 can be made to look exactly like thepainted gravel widely used today. It may also look like natural pebbles,crushed coral or just about any other substrate. In fact it not only canduplicate the look of natural substrates but it can also be translucentin any color or it can be made in a marbleized natural polished pebble.Experiments with neutral buoyancy substrate 28 with slight variations indensity led to the neutral buoyancy substrate 28 arranging itself withinthe currents of the tank. When the lighter density version had a uniquecolor to the higher density they arranged themselves with the lightercolor in the lowest current regions and the denser collecting in theareas with higher currents. Moving the output direction of the pump ledto the rearrangement of the color pattern. Tanks with a lot of currentin them require the slightly higher density to keep the entire bottomcovered. Addition of lower density neutral buoyancy substrate 28 enablesthe shifting color patterns which change anytime the currents in thetank are changed.

Another variation enables telling the temperature of the tank. Thedensity can be controlled so that changing temperature of the water letsthe gravel float or sink. If you had 10 colors, each of differentdensity, you can tell the temperature of the water by the color of thelowest temperature that is floating. The highest temperature remainingsubmerged is just below the water temperature. The color of the actualtemperature remains in suspension, caught up in the current in the tank

The neutral buoyancy substrate 28 is slightly denser than water andforms a fluidized bed. The neutral buoyancy substrate 28 is easily movedby the percolating bubbles and upward flow of water. Fish also stir itup searching for food. Snails and crabs and some fish and turtles traveland hide within it. This motion keeps it from ever getting clogged andchoked, neutral buoyancy substrate 28 material was then designed to havesize and shape to achieve maximum empty space between particles toenable the uninterrupted flow of oxygenating water to support thecolonization of beneficial bacteria which will naturally keep the tankpristine. Conventional substrates collect debris until all flow isblocked, then rots in a toxic manner requiring major maintenance to keepthe system from crashing. The neutral buoyancy substrate 28 becomes thebiological filter of the tank and it naturally maintains itself. Themovement of the neutral buoyancy substrate 28 very efficiently clearsitself of any particles. The heavy particles pass right through theneutral buoyancy substrate 28 and can be collected at the bottom andremoved in any number of ways. Waste which is of similar density or lessis carried away by the constant upward currents of water blended withair.

The pump 30 draws water from the tank and passes it through the bubbledispersing base plate 26 up and into the substrate 28. The watercirculates through the substrate 28 where it interacts with the floraresident on the substrate, allowing the flora to consume organic wastethat would otherwise accumulate in the tank.

The water leaving the bubble dispersing base plate 26 and entering thesubstrate 28 is saturated with oxygen, which allows flora resident inthe substrate 28 to function to their full capacity. The presence of theair bubble streams ensures a clog resistant, self cleaning, fluidizedbed which keeps the entire substrate saturated with oxygen. This systemwill work with any substrate but only with the neutral buoyancysubstrate 28 will the system remain stable over time with virtually nooutside intervention. The bubble dispersing base plate 26 can be builtinto the tank 12, using the bottom wall of the tank 12 as the bottom ofthe bubble dispersing base plate 26 and adding sides and the perforatedtop 100. The bubble dispersing base plate 26 is very thin and isdesigned to maximize turbulence with minimal flow rate restriction andto regulate the release of the air bubbles. For example, for a small tomedium system the height inside the bubble dispersing base plate 26 isonly ⅛ of an inch and the length and width are just slightly less thanthe inside base of the tank 12. It covers 100% of the base may be builtin using only the perforated top 100 and the floor and walls of the tank12 to form the sides and bottom of the bubble dispersing base plate 26.In large tanks the height of the bubble dispersing base plate 26increases only slightly, proportional to the size of the base. A heightof ¼ inch inside the bubble dispersing base plate 26 is best for up to10 gallons; for up to 90 gallons a ½ inch height is satisfactory; andfor up to 300 gallons a 1 inch height is satisfactory.

In operation, the pump 30 pressurizes the internal cavity 106 of thebubble dispersing base plate 26 by injecting a blended mix of water andspecifically sized air bubbles under pressure. Inside, the bubbledispersing base plate 26 advantageously has guides 108 to distributethis mixture for a more even distribution of the larger bubbles and toincrease the size of the region of high turbulence inside the bubbledispersing base plate 26. Water and air are forced out of the perforatedtop surface 100 of the bubble dispersing base plate 26. When thismixture exits the top of the bubble dispersing base plate 26, it entersthe bottom of the substrate 28. It constantly supplies the entiresubstrate 28 with all the essentials of life for the beneficial bacteriaas it eliminates their waste and keeps it free of suffocating sediments.The combination of this flow with its custom blended injection ofspecifically sized air bubbles keeps the entire substrate 28 free ofthese sediments which would otherwise build up and choke off sections.The tiny bubbles pass freely through the top surface 100 of bubbledispersing base plate 26 and are not restricted like the larger bubbles.The tiny bubbles supply every region of the substrate 28 equally with aconstant supply of air which slowly accumulates within the substrate 28until a critical amount is reached to overcome the upward resistance toexit. The tiny bubbles ensure that all areas remain alive and when theyeventually cause the air to percolate out they become a path of leastresistance and this flow is followed by fresh oxygenated water replacingit. This flow, in combination with the gentle rattling of the substrateparticles cause by the flow, keeps the area free of excess sediment.

The tiny bubbles travel equally in all directions, pass through theperforated top 100 unrestricted and are not rationed by the perforatedtop as the larger bubbles are. When they exit the bubble dispersing baseplate 26, they accumulate in the substrate 28 and fill the entiresubstrate 28 at an equal rate of absorption. They do not exit thesubstrate 28 quickly as the large bubbles do but they constantly buildup in every part of the substrate 28. As they accumulate, they reach acritical mass which overcomes the resistance to their escape from thesubstrate 28. In the time this takes, the collection of tiny bubblesbuilds up, then they begin to combine into larger ones and keep littlesections of the substrate 28 within the pockets of fresh bubbles. Thelarger bubbles are restricted at the perforated top 100 and combinewithin the bubble dispersing base plate 26 and vent collectively. Thetiny bubbles migrate equally in every direction and do not combine untilthey get trapped within the substrate 28. It is this combination ofdifferent size bubbles and overall amount that enables a reasonableamount of injected air to saturate the entire region above the bubbledispersing base plate 26. As the air is released, the force of theescaping bubbles shakes up the substrate 28, clearing any excesssediment buildup while the rising water helps keep the substrate 28clear of clogging debris and supplied with the oxygen necessary forbeneficial bacteria to eliminate it.

This process is constantly occurring as the tiny bubbles accumulate at aconstant rate evenly-everywhere, and at any time any area attains acritical mass of trapped air then vents causing the area to percolateout the bubbles and the resulting volcano type release unsettles andcarries away sediment in the resulting geyser like flow whichaccompanies the release of the trapped air.

Air is drawn into the pump 30 by the air tube 32 or the air duct 54which function as ventures. The impeller 54 whips the air into the waterinside the pumping chamber 52 causing a constant accumulation of thebubbles.

If the tank 12 is neglected, the fish overfed or the tank otherwisecompromised, it still functions well. However, to correct any problemscaused by overfeeding or neglect, a filter pad (not shown) may be placedon the input port of the pump 30 and the entire substrate 28 stirredusing a stirrer so as to lift the excess sediment into suspension in thewater. Alternatively, an external magnet (not shown) may be used to movethe base plate 26 to thereby stir the substrate 28. In either case,after a few minutes, the filter pad will collect the sediment. Thefilter pad is then removed.

Preferably, the particles of the substrate 28 are in the form of beads29 a (FIGS. 38A and B) and 29 b (FIGS. 39A and B). The beads 29 a, 29 bare preferably made of plastic, such as styrene and/or acrylic. Thecomposition is selected to achieve density and other characteristics.The size and shape of the beads is important to achieve optimal flow oflife sustaining oxygenated water throughout the system they form. Someareas have very high flow rates and some areas have very slow flow ratesand this is important for different reactions. The size and shape areimportant to get a low packing density—a lot of empty space between thebeads. Preferably, the shape is irregular, as shown in FIGS. 38A and39A. The neutral+ buoyancy is vital for the beads to form a fluidizedbed type system and remain free of choking deposits. The neutralbuoyancy properties enable the clearing of excess sediment build-up asany buildup collects gas under it and when the gas reaches a criticalmass, it clears the clog. Even without our pump which supplies tiny airbubbles into the substrate, when a clog forms it produces gasses whichbuild up till it clears itself. The neutral buoyancy is also veryimportant because they form a virtually fluid substrate. All of thefish, turtles, etc are always digging into them to find food and evenshelter. This also is a major force in having the system maintainitself. Within the beads there are many things thriving below which alsomaintain the system. The fish bring all kinds of organisms and they allthrive in our substrate and for the full balance of codependent life tokeep the system stable. Some can be seen such as tiny worms which feedon the sediment and there must be hundreds of microscopic organisms aswell which thrive in our system and not sustainable in prior systems

Also, the bead size is important in a few ways. If the tank is very,very tiny, the bead size should also be smaller to get the flow ratesbetween them correct and a very large tank can be optimized using largersize beads to ensure flow.

Advantageously, the beads may be conditioned prior to use. The processto condition the beads is really the same process as establishing a newfish tank. It is done on a larger scale and the goal is to produce largeamounts of the desired colonies of bacteria in as short a time aspossible, then to stabilize them indefinitely for future use.

This conditioning process starts with sterile beads placed into a largetank with clean water. Aeration and current is supplied at variablerates throughout the substrate. This supplies necessary oxygenation foraerobic life and the currents needed to maintain the various areasforming unique environments within the substrate. A bio-load (e.g.,plurality of fish) is then introduced to begin the process. When wastebuilds up a small quantity of conditioned beads and a small quantity ofsediment from an established control tank is added to the new system.This not only greatly speeds up the process but ensures a consistent endresult as well. The fish, food and even the clean water all havebacteria and by seeding the tank the results are always consistent asthe added culture ensures the correct type and ratios of bacteriaoverwhelm any variations caused by variations introduced with the fish,food water and any variations of the environment. As the new batch tankscycle, additional seeding corresponds with the development of each cycleand the amount of seeding is increased, as is the bio load as the systemmatures. The system is built up in steps. The initial Bio-load isintroduced—Waste then begins to build up and desired bacteria are thenadded; they then multiply. By building up in steps, the system nevergets too fouled. Ammonia is the first cycle and it is consumed by thebacteria we seed the system with and the result of this cycle isnitrite, so when the ammonia is broken down into nitrite, we again seedthe tank with a fresh source of bacteria once the ammonia levels dipresulting in the nitrite. Once the nitrite is found by testing, anotherseeding is done to introduce desired bacteria to process it.

Once the system is at equilibrium (i.e., the bacteria are in balancewith all waste products of the system) with a very large bio load, thelarge population of fish (in this case) is removed along with most ofthe water. At this time, just before the fish are removed, very largeamounts of food and high aeration are made available and the bacteriacounts drastically spike. When the ammonia spikes, it feeds the nitritecycle and when the nitrite spike disappears the NBS is then stabilized.In other words, we get the system at equilibrium with a large bio-loadthen stabilize the bacteria onto the beads. As the beads are dried,bacteria are attracted to the NBS surface. Bacteria are everywhere and alarge portion living on flagellating filaments between the beads and inthe sediment naturally collect on the beads surface. The count per beadcan then be maximized by drying additional sediment and floatingcolonies on: “water dust” onto beads by spray circulating while drying.The water has suspended particles which contain bacteria; the sedimentalso has bacteria and by drying the remaining water so it evaporates offthe beads, the bacteria collects on the bead surface as it dries up.During the drying process if the water containing the sediment isrecirculated using a pump to keep misting the beads than all thesediment can be dried onto the surface of the beads as eventually thewater supply is almost completely gone and everything in it dries ontothe beads surface. Once dry, they are completely stabile. To reactivatethe conditioned beads, they are put back into water. A small amount ofconditioned beads mixed with a large portion of virgin beads willquickly form a mature system.

The bio load may differ from fish. It may be paper pulp, animal waste,sewage, fertilizer, crop waste, food processing waste, etc. It canmaintain a swimming pool without chemicals and no seasonal or otherwater changes ever desired.

Although, the beads 29 a,29 b are generally solid, they also may behollow with or without openings on opposing sides so water can freelypass through. The center cavity greatly improves the ability forbacteria to form huge, stable colonies where aerobic bacteria can thriveundisturbed.

Test performed of conditioned and nonconditioned beads have shown thefollowing results;

-   -   Nonconditioned Beads had 10 spores    -   Conditioned Beads had 2,000,000 spores    -   Conditioned Beads also had a fungus on them    -   Interior of Conditioned Bead had 100 spores

Referring now to FIG. 17, there is shown an alternative embodiment ofthe bubble dispersing base plate 26, designated by the reference numeral110 in FIG. 17, in which an impeller 112 similar to the impeller 54 iscontained in the bubble dispersing base plate 110 itself obviating theneed for a separate pump. The impeller 112 is located in a chamber 114in the center with a slightly raised top 116. The raised top 116 of thechamber 114 helps blend in air. An intake tube 118 having a screen overits inlet is connected to the chamber. The rotational torque generationunit 46 is placed on the bottom wall of the tank 12 in alignment withthe impeller 112. It may be attached to the tank 12 by mounting magnets(not shown) in the plate 110 and the rotational torque generation unit46 or by any other suitable means.

Referring now to FIG. 18, there is shown an alternative form of bubbledispersing base plate in accordance with certain features of theinvention. In this embodiment, a hollow cylindrical base plate 120having a plurality of peripheral openings 122 is employed. A pluralityof tubes 124 having respective pluralities of holes 126 are connected torespective ones of the peripheral openings 122. The distal ends 128 ofthe tubes 124 are closed. Accordingly, when a blend of water and air ispumped into the plate 120, the plate 120 distributes this blend to theseveral tubes 124, the tubes 124 venting the resultant bubbles toachieve the same effect achieved with the bubble dispersing plate 26.Referring to FIG. 31, a sediment removal system 268 is formed byelevating the bubble dispersing base plate 28 above the bottom of thetank 12 to form a cavity 270 that is used for collection of sediment andother high-density waste including dissolved proteins and even ammonia.Waste matter gets drawn into this cavity. At the center of this cavity270 is the collection trap in the form of a cup 272 into which unwantedwaste is trapped and eliminated via a drain hose 274 connected to adrain cap 276. This can be manually done with a pushbutton valve, orautomated with a timer to match the bio-load of the system or with asimple beam interruption indicating presents of waste.

The sediment removal system 268 collects and eliminates waste matterfrom aquariums or other filtered systems. Sediment such as uneatenfoods, waste matter of fish, turtles etc. or any other solid waste arecontinuously collected and then eliminated from the system. Ammonia andother pollutants and even dissolved proteins are also caught up as theyare also denser and are collected, contained and eliminated along withsolid sediments and waste. Only a tiny amount of water is needed tocarry out all of the collected waste products. This system iscontinuously operating and enables the support of much greater bio-loadsin a vastly more pristine and stabile environment while greatlysimplifying maintenance. Waste elimination may be automated using anadjustable timer to match the rate of a sediment build-up or usingsimple beam interruption or a light sensor to indicate the presents ofexcess sediment and eliminate it whenever it accumulates. This is amajor advance in greatly increasing the bio-load a system can supportwhile drastically reducing and simplifying required maintenance.

Referring to FIG. 40, a magnetic stirring system 700 may be used tofunnel sediment into the cup. The system 700 includes a plurality ofmagnets 701 disposed in a rotatable ring 702 rotated by a motor 703 anda belt drive 704. A plurality of magnets (not shown) equal in number andlocation to the magnets 701 are mounted on a rotatable stirrer (notshown) disposed at the bottom of the tank. When activated, the magnets701 follows a circular path. As the magnets 701 circle the cup, thestirrer gently stirs up the substrate and causes the excess sediment tobe collected in the SRS cup. Periodically, or when the presence ofsediment is evident, the cup is emptied removing excess sediment.

Referring now to FIGS. 19 and 20, there is shown an alternativeembodiment of a filter 132 illustrating certain features of theinvention. The filter 132 includes a container 134 having a plurality,for example six, horizontal chambers 136A-136F separated by partitions138. Each of the chambers 136A-136D contains a replaceable cartridge 140for individual filter media. Formed at the upper and lower edge of thepartitions 138 are openings 142 to allow water to circulate.

Various filter media, such as glass wool, active charcoal, ceramicbeads, sands, matting, sponge (depending on the type of fish in theaquarium), may be contained separately in the cartridges 140. A pump 144including an impeller 146 is located in one of the chambers 136A-136F,e.g., the chamber 136E, and the chamber 136F serves as an outputsection. As seen in FIG. 17, the filter may be located on the rear wall18 of the tank 12 with the rotational torque generation unit located inalignment 46 with the pump 144.

In operation, when pump 144 is activated, water in the tank 12 entersthe filter 132. Water entering the filter 132 flows successively throughthe cartridges 140 via the partition openings 142. As the water passesthrough each cartridge 140, it is progressively filtered.

Since each medium is contained separately in the cartridges 140,replacement of specific medium is possible. Also this system allows theflexibility of selecting and arranging the filter medium based on theneeds and type of fish kept in the aquarium.

The pump 144 creates currents in the filter 132 itself allowing water tobe filtered many times with one pass through the filter 132. Additionalcurrents do the job of the usual power head pump previously needed inconventional filtration systems in addition to a filter.

Since the impeller 146 can now be placed anywhere, without an associatedbulky insulated motor, this versatility translates to versatility indesigning the filter 132. For example, placing the impeller 146 at thebottom of the filter 132 allows sweeping currents to keep the entirebottom of the tank 12 swept clean by the added current produced. Thelarger than normal output at the bottom of the filter 132 creates twosystems, one causing flow through the filter 132 and the other drawingin water from the bottom of the filter 132 and re-circulating it. Thiscauses additional currents beyond those resulting from flow through thefilter 132 alone.

This pump design provides great versatility. It can create a slow flowthrough the filter 132 while generating very strong current in the tank12 or gentle current in the tank 12 and vigorous current in the filter132. This is achieved with a predetermined ratio of gravity feedreplacement of water with the net water pumped out of filter system intothe tank 12 causing the replacement water to fall through a column orair drawn down and held by pump 144. Equilibrium is achieved when theair column is pulled down sufficiently to have it begin to be pulledinto the pump where it decreases the pump efficiency and slows the rateuntil a constant rate is established. This equilibrium can be controlledto again adjust characteristics of the filter 132. By restricting orenhancing flow of water entering the filter 132, this equilibrium can beregulated. For example, if entry of water into the top of the filter 132is restricted, the replacement rate drops and more air is pumpedincreasing aeration and slowing the pump rate.

The size and capacity of the filter 132 can be increased by adding morecartridges 140 to the stack. The flow rate and load on the pump 144remain constant with additional cartridges 140 being added to the filter132. Thus, since the filter 132 is powered by gravity as water fallstherethrough, no matter how high the filter 132 the size of the motorcan remain the same.

One of the advantageous of the filter 132 is that 100% of the water isfiltered by every cartridge as there is no path around the filter media.The only openings are at the top and bottom of each cartridge and eachcartridge seals with the adjacent cartridge to maintain a single paththrough the media.

Another advantage is maximizing gas exchange to supply oxygen andrelease carbon dioxide. In essence, the filter 132 acts as an underwaterwet/dry type system as the flow through the cartridge stack has themedia in air with water flowing through each cartridge keeping thecartridge filled with air while water passes therethrough. This is aresult of the pump rate being faster than the rate of gravity pullingthe water down to the pump through the resistance to flow through themedia. Equilibrium is established as air fills the stack until itreaches the pump and when it does, as soon as the air enters the pump,the efficiency of the pump drops and water catches up, then theefficiency goes up and this cycle determines the flow rate and theresulting air pumped through system rises and breaks the surface toagain facilitate gas exchange at the surface. The media is constantlyexposed to air allowing optimal conditions for bacteria to colonize andpromote the most efficient biological filtration and the water beingreturned to the tank is oxygenated. The bacteria are efficiently giventheir own oxygen supply and they do not compete for oxygen with the fishas in most conventional designs.

The location of the filter 132 in the tank is such that filter input isalways skimming the surface to further maximize gas exchange byconstantly replacing surface water where most gas exchange occurs. Thisrapid surface movement greatly enhances the breathing of the tank 12.

The output of the filter 132 can be altered additionally byrepositioning the filter 132, i.e., by repositioning the linked mountingmagnets. For example, flow may be redirected by this method to allowflow to the top while restricting flow in the bottom or the proportionsof flow to top and bottom may be changed.

The filter 132 is extremely versatile as cartridges 140 are buildingblocks which can be added to meet filtration needs for the tank 12 inwhich it is installed. As the needs change, the filter 132 can bequickly changed to meet the exact demands of the current conditions withquick substitution of cartridge types to meet the demands on the filter132.

Installation of this filtration system is simple. The filter 132 isplaced where desired and the rotational torque generation unit 46aligned behind the pump section, the rotational torque generation unitand the pump 144 being held in place by magnetic attraction of theirrespective mounting magnets.

Referring now to FIGS. 21 and 22, there is shown a further alternativeembodiment of a filter 150 illustrating certain features of theinvention. The filter 150 includes a container 152 having a plurality,for example six, horizontally aligned, vertical chambers 154A-154Gseparated by partitions 156. Each of the chambers 154A-154F contains areplaceable cartridge 158 for individual filter media. Formed at theside edges of the partitions 156 are openings 160 to allow the water tocirculate. The front wall 162 of the container has a pair of wateroutlet ports 164 disposed at opposite ends.

Various filter media, such as glass wool, active charcoal, ceramicbeads, sands, matting, sponge (depending on the type of fish in theaquarium), may be contained separately in the cartridges 158. A pump 166including an impeller 168 is located in the center chamber 154Dsurrounded by substrate media 170. A water inlet port 172 is located inthe front wall 162 opposite to the pump 166. As seen in FIG. 22, thefilter 150 may be located on the rear wall 18 of the tank 12 with therotational torque generation unit 46 located in alignment with the pump166.

In operation, when the pump 166 is activated, water in the tank 12 ispulled into the center chamber 154D through the input port 172 by theimpeller 168. Water entering the filter 150 is oxygenated by theimpeller and caused to flow successively through the cartridges 158 viathe partition openings 160. As the water passes through each cartridge158, it is progressively filtered. The filtered and oxygenated waterthen exits the filter 150 through the outlet ports 164.

As with the filter 132 of FIGS. 20 and 21, since each medium of thefilter 150 is contained separately in the cartridges 158, replacement ofspecific medium is possible. Also this system allows the flexibility ofselecting and arranging the filter medium based on the needs and type offish kept in the aquarium.

Also like the filter 132 of FIGS. 19 and 20, the pump 166 createscurrents in the filter 150 itself allowing water to be filtered manytimes with one pass through the filter 150. Additional currents do thejob of the usual power head pump previously needed in conventionalfiltration systems in addition to a filter.

Referring now to FIGS. 22 and 23, there is shown a further alternativeembodiment of a filter 173 illustrating certain features of theinvention. The filter 170 includes a container 174 having a plurality,for example three, horizontally aligned, vertical chambers 175A-175Cseparated by partitions 176. Each of the chambers 175A-175C contains areplaceable cartridge 178 for individual filter media. Formed at theside edges of the partitions 176 are openings 180 to allow the water tocirculate. The front wall 182 of the container has a water outlet port184 disposed at the top of the container 174.

Various filter media, such as glass wool, active charcoal, ceramicbeads, sands, matting, sponge (depending on the type of fish in theaquarium), may be contained separately in the cartridges 175. A pump 186including an impeller 188 is located in a chamber 190 disposed below andin communication with the chambers 174A-174C. A water inlet port 192 islocated in the front wall 194 opposite to the pump 186. As seen in FIG.24, the filter 170 may be located on the rear wall 18 of the tank 12with the rotational torque generation unit 46 located in alignment withthe pump 186.

In operation of the filter 170, when the pump 186 is activated, water inthe tank 12 is pulled into the chamber 190 through the input port 192 bythe impeller 188. Water entering the filter 170 is oxygenated by theimpeller 188 and caused to flow through the cartridges 178 160. As thewater passes through each cartridge 178 it is filtered. The filtered andoxygenated water then exits the filter 170 through the outlet port 184.

A pump according to the invention is not limited to the specificapplications described above, but can be used in any application inwhich a conventional pump may be used. Thus, the impeller can be put ormoved anywhere. The motor can be on a track and travel the path of thetrack at a speed proportional to the motor's speed. The impeller willfollow the motor as it is linked magnetically and the pump housing canbe linked to the motor housing to have the entire assembly move alongany path. It can sweep the entire bottom and vary currents for a morenatural environment. It can travel at surface level or do both. It caneven travel in a false bottom below the gravel to keep the gravel alwaysclean with a strong but small current which blows up through the graveland slowly moves continually cleaning even under heavy coral pieces orother arrangements which need not be moved to be thoroughly cleaned.Additionally, one motor can power any number of impellers using gears ora belt drive system.

The pump and impeller rotation torque generating combination can also beused to clean the inside of the tank. In this case, instead of theimpeller, a cleaning disk is used, that is, a disk having a glasscleaning buffing pad. Because the disk can be moved anywhere in the tankthe entire tank can be cleaned. Additionally, using a thin flexiblecleaning disk enables the cleaning disk to reach and clean even normallyinaccessible portions of the tank.

As should now be apparent, a pump according to the invention provides anelectrically isolated, long life, low cost, simple, maintenance free,vibration free, silent pumping system which can be built in or easilyinstalled to condition water in virtually any system.

Referring to FIG. 32, if desired, a heating unit 278 comprising acartridge heater 280 held in a circular support 282 may be positioned inthe inlet pipe. Alternatively, the heater may be located elsewhere inthe tank such as the bottom of the tank.

The term “free floating” as used herein means the absence of anybearings, bushings, shafts or other structures that would restrain theangle and axis of rotation of an element referred to as being “freefloating.”

The term “aquarium” as used herein means any tank, bowl, or otherwater-filled enclosure in which aquatic animals and/or plants are kept.

The term “under gravel filter” as use herein means a filter whichincludes a base plate having an overlying substrate of any material,such as sand, pebbles, crushed coral, dolomite, or crushed glass.

Although the present invention has been described in relation toparticular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modificationsand other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It ispreferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by thespecific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

1. A neutral buoyancy substrate for use in a system where bubbles havingbacteria are caused to flow into and through the substrate, thesubstrate comprising particles having a size, shape, composition and/ordensity such that particles are easily moved by the bubbles and aplurality of the particles are caused by the bacteria to have more than10 spores on their respective surfaces.
 2. A neutral buoyancy substrateaccording to claim 1, wherein the particles have a density slightlygreater than that of water.
 3. A neutral buoyancy substrate according toclaim 2, wherein the particles are irregularly shaped beads.
 4. Aneutral buoyancy substrate according to claim 3, wherein a plurality ofthe beads have at least 2,000,000 spores on their respective surfaces.